Moments
by quotejohnhughes
Summary: A collection of little one-shots that I tend to write, all types of genres and pairings and what-not.
1. Curtains

She kept the curtains of that window open, always pushed to the furthest point. At night she'd taken to staring out it, just waiting, hoping for a topless Nick or a bashful Jake to appear, watching her, smirking. It was something small, something no one had noticed, but it was important.

When cobwebs formed on the curtain rod, Diana questioned, and in turn her Grandma discerned the trend. She said she kept them open because she liked the extra light, because of the perceived space even.

For she'd not admit the truth, not even to Melissa who might understand, nor Adam who would hold her 'til she burned… she didn't even want to admit it to herself.

She kept the curtains of that window open because she knew no one would open them for her anymore.


	2. Reindeer Antlers

Nervously tugging on her Santa hat, she thought of all the reasons this was a terrible idea. Thick tension still bound the circle, a distrust of and disappointment in each other. Unlikely alliances had been forged and queasy friendships searched for solid ground. She'd been trying to avoid them.

An unexpected wild card had been thrown into the mix – Melissa had suggested a Christmas party. Scratch that, Melissa had blackmailed, manipulated and persuaded them until no one would dare disappoint. So here she was.

They were all on edge, after their last costume party, no one was at ease. Dangers also lurked within them, emotions which threatened to tear their circle apart. And the eggnog would surely not help matters.

She searched for someone she knew amongst the crowd, getting lost in the tinsel and carols as her head spun with flashbacks. "Cassie!" Okay, she'd meant someone other than him. "Hey Cassie!" he called, loosely clasping her hand. She turned towards him with a small smile, trying to ignore the tingle spreading from her hand, the warmth she wished could be attributed to festive spirit or alcohol. "Cute onesie."  
>"Uh, thanks. Cute antlers." He smiled, readjusting their position on his head as he pressed a button to make them light up. "Oh wow, neat."<p>

Fay tramped past, a glass of brandy in her hand and merely pointed, "Mistletoe" as she continued on with a wicked smirk.

She could feel his energy around her, inching closer, hesitant. The instant his lips claimed hers she felt her body melt into his, a 4th of July parade taking place within her body, her eyelids. A moment later screams erupted as every light in the house exploded in a magnificent shower of sparks. They broke swiftly apart with wide eyes, searching in the dark for some explanation. Finding instead his hand, she grabbed him and pulled him out the door.

"I thought that wasn't supposed to happen anymore! We bound the circle! This was supposed to end." She stared at him, bewildered, frustrated, lost.  
>"I know." He stepped closer.<br>"I just…" she whispered, too many sentences rushing to her mouth at once. He brushed her arm, slowly gathering her into his. She burrowed into his shoulder, trying to hide in a home she'd been trying to fight. But his husky voice sounded like ocean waves and he smelt like campfires, and she felt herself give in. For tonight she could deal with exploding lightbulbs and stupid reindeer antlers, because they sure beat witch-hunters and empty windows.


	3. Hallway Conversations

She'd been staring into her locker a solid five minutes, yet she couldn't remember what she needed for class. All she could think of was stolen flowers and dark warnings, of pleading eyes and fires. She could feel Adam across the hall, watching her, but she couldn't face him yet. So she stared at the rope burns in her wrists and willed them to fade faster. Now, what did she need for class again? Drawn back into the whirlwind of her emotions she could almost feel Jake's hand on her arm…

Ripped from her reverie by another energy, she spun around to find Melissa smiling sadly at her. "Armstrong boys, huh… Who knew? Look, I know we're not, uh… If you ever need to talk…" and with that she disappeared up the hall.

Maybe she wasn't alone after all.


	4. Untitled

"How could you?"  
>"Her? You said you <em>knew<em> him!"  
>"I said I didn't trust him!"<br>"You're biased!"  
>"And sleeping with him makes you the more objective?"<p>

Cassie sat to the side, beyond listening to the repetitive shouting. It'd been two days, and she was pretty sure they'd had these exact same words bulleted around yesterday.

"Jake may be in danger!"  
>"<em>Jake<em> tried to _kill _us!"  
>"<em>We<em> may be in danger!"

A strange pull tugged at Cassie, something calling her outside. She slipped from the room, drawn to the front porch. He was waiting in the garden, head down as his eyes found hers guiltily. The chiseled jaw, the dark eyes; the boy she'd thought she wouldn't see again.

Taking a step back from the argument, Adam felt a certain distance, a vacancy, he knew she was gone before he thought to look.

"Cassie!" called his husky voice as they all ran down the stairs. They clamored to a stop as they found her staring. Faye gasped, a moment she would later deny and whispered a strangled "Jake!"

The blonde whirlwind knocked him square in the chest, frenzied arms reaching around him and pulling him flush against a warm body in a form of embrace he'd almost forgotten. She was everywhere. She brushed their cheeks, reaching on tipped-toes to whisper against his ear. "Are you okay?"  
>"Better now." Wrapping his arms around the witch more securely, he breathed her in, she was safe.<p> 


	5. He'd be her Harry Potter

She hid it well, the dull ache through her bones, the smoke forever in her nose. Some days it was as if she was just a girl, as if her mother hadn't just died and her home hadn't been burnt to the ground. Yet he still awoke to her screams most nights, still saw the lights flicker on to reveal a shaking witch. And when she smiled at him these days he saw the fire in her eyes that he'd only ever seen in the mirror. The mixture of pain, revenge, confusion, loneliness that in time would burn her alive.

He wanted to save her, in a sickening way that reminded him of the brother he never could. He wanted to sit with her at gravestones that contained more than dog bones and remind her of what it meant to be alive. He wanted to be hers in a way that he had never before belonged.

But she had a destiny to leap into, and he had bad habits to fall back on.

Still, he wanted more for her than sardonic quips and sloppy seconds. He wanted to give her a home that had nothing to do with walls and kitchens. He wanted to go back to that moment on the boat, when he'd had her in his arms, or the morning that found him under her in the basement, fingers brushing her cheek, and tell her that he'd always save her. That he would never leave her in the flames.

So when she showed up at his door breathless and wide-eyed with a muted "I didn't want to be alone", he wrapped her in his doona and whispered a promise that she never would be into her pounding temple. He was just a scarred boy, but he'd be her Harry Potter if she'd let him. He'd be hers.


End file.
